The Daily WTF: Bristol Palin Laughs As Tripp Calls His Aunt Willow The F-Word…Yeah, That F-Word

I make fun of a lot of things, but even I can’t find any humor in this. I watched one episode of Bristol Palin: Life’s A Tripp because I was paid to blog about it, and was gonna be happy never hearing about it again. I was hoping it would be hilariously bad or embarrassing for the Palin family, but instead it was just boring and sad. But I guess I got my wish, because Gawker just put up a clip from the show that should be extremely fucking embarrassing to Bristol Palin.

In the clip Willow, Tripp, and Bristol have just arrived in Phoenix and Tripp is tired and cranky from the plane. He wants to go down to the pool, but Bristol won’t let him because there are a bunch of drunk kids down there and he needs to take a nap. Then Tripp starts doing what most toddlers do when they don’t get their way — acting out. He starts yelling at his mom and aunt, telling them that he hates them. And now we learn why there’s a disadvantage to having a child when you’re still a child yourself! Willow is actually the one taking the lead on trying to discipline Tripp, telling him he can’t say things like that and that she’s going to put him in time out and wash his mouth out with soap. Bristol’s just kind of watching, periodically speaking up to half-heartedly support her sister. Neither one of them are following-through with the punishments they’ve threatened, and Bristol even giggles saying the words, “God’s watching you.” Tripp starts to feel like he’s getting his way, and Willow tells him, “You’re not cute,” plopping him back down on the couch. He then smacks her on the arm and screams, “Go away, you faggot!”

…

Are. You. Serious. For me, that would be game over. If I heard that come out of my kid’s mouth, they’d be in instant time out. He’s acting out and doesn’t know what the word means, so he needs instant consequences so he doesn’t say it again. But instead, both girls start laughing, effectively teaching him that that’s a funny and cute word to say. Great, awesome. Get that hate brewing while he’s still really young so it’s nice and entrenched by the time he’s a teenager and can (theoretically) think for himself. Was Tripp acting like a little turd? Absolutely. But he doesn’t know what that word means, I guarantee it. He’s heard it said around him — which in itself is a failure of parenting, if it came out of the mouth of someone in his family — and repeated it. It’s not his job not to say it, it’s his mom’s job a. not to say it around him and b. to make it instantly clear if he does say it that it’s absolutely not okay. But they don’t do any of that. They tell Tripp to go sit in a chair, and vaguely threaten to go put him in a room in time out, but they don’t follow-through and I’m seriously disgusted.

It’s my least favorite word, coming out of the mouth of the kid of one of my least favorite people, and I just lost a little faith in humanity.